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UPDATE: Due to initial technical difficulties and summer electronic music festivals (and a lot of begging for more time :-p), the deadline is extended to Monday, June 13, 2011 at 9am. The entries will be listened to through the following week and we’ll let you know if your stuff has been chosen.

Hey, Chicagoland-based electronic musicians! Want to be part of a Chicago electronic music compilation? subVariant is planning to release a free-to-download collection called Frequencity featuring quality songs from regional musicians.

All electronic music genres are welcome, but the final compilation will be a limited selection of tracks chosen by the subVariant A&R team.

subVariant will also release an original t-shirt design in the theme of “Chicago Electronic Music” when the compilation is officially released.

Going with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce’s definition, participation is only open to musicians in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. Even though Chicago-based Chicagoans tend to scoff at suburbanites who adopt the label, we’ll let this one be open to a larger pool of applicants.

The deadline for submissions is Thursday, June 2, 2011 at 8pmMonday, June 13 at 9am.

Sort of like it’s analog cousin, Open Channel is an non-curated musician’s showcase in a supportive, relaxed environment, except it showcases electronic music, either through DJing or Live PAs. You will get 20 minutes to show off what you do musically, and then listen to other people doing the same thing.

There are 12 slots open. The first 12 people who RSVP and pay will be guaranteed a slot. Playing order will be determined on t…he date of the performance.

You are also absolutely welcome to bring friends, or just come as a spectator!

There is a suggested donation of $5.

TECH STUFF:

* You will be plugging in to an open channel on the mixer with one RCA cable from your gear. We will have 2 people set up on the table and then use the mixer to fade between people when they are ready to go, without dead air. Please try to stick to the 20 minute limit so everyone gets a chance to play.

* There are no monitors, but the room is not huge and the space is carpeted.

* Please note that there is not a lot of room at the front of house, so try to keep your gear footprint to the smallest you can manage (ie: there is no room to set up a full drum kit, so don’t bring it). The ideal setup would be a laptop plus one or two pieces of outboard gear / MIDI controllers.

* You will be plugging into a Beringer mixer so you will need to have L/R 1/4″ mono plugs out

Scroll to MULTIKULTI on the call box to get buzzed in and go up to the 4th floor. The space is an art + media collective and gallery. BYOB.

Text / call me personally at (312) 869-4647.

Please say OPEN CHANNEL at the buzzer or door so you can be directed to the right room. See you soon!

“Pirate Party” was the third in the Artificial Intelligence series presented by subVariant at Ai Lounge in Chicago’s Loop. subVariant’s Artificial Intelligence showcase is a series of concept parties that aim to merge art, design, humor, and fun into a dance music scene that often takes itself too seriously, while still maintaining the high level of musical quality and experimentation the company is known for and continuing to support the local electronic music community.

So, “Pirate Party” didn’t mean just dress like a pirate and get three-sheets-to-thar-wind on rum (although, we can’t lie…there was a bit of that in effect as well on Saturday)…it was an invitation for local artists to hand in the work they wanted to share, for free, on the subVariant site, and be promoted and featured in the local press, music blogs, social networks and the like. Sort of like The Pirate Bay, but totally legal since everyone who handed in music has the right to distibute the works (yes, there is a mighty huge .torrent link at the bottom too…please seed!) Continue Reading →